Welcome to the game. Here, once more, is the game proposal and a list of current players:

A Long Overdue Party

The year is TA 2920 (1320 in the Shire Reckoning) and Gerontius Took is turning 130 years old. Aged but still hale, he has decreed that there is to be no birthday party for him at all this year – as there hasn’t been for the last ten years, not since before the Fell Winter of 2911 when provisions were so scarce that he had felt it improper to squander much needed supplies. Since that date, although times have improved, there are still many hobbits in the Shire, on both sides of the Brandywine, who have not fully recovered from that terrible year and the Thain has made it a point of pride that until every Hobbit can afford to celebrate their birthdays in fine style, neither shall he.

Unbeknownst to Gerontius, however, his vast family – having suffered through a decade without the annual celebration of the Thain (and its attendant days and nights of food and joviality) – has decided that a proper party is long overdue. To get around the decree of the Thain, they have called a secret meeting to discuss a grand party that shall take place on the Thain’s birthday but not necessarily in celebration of his birthday…

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The game shall begin with all gamers sneaking into this meeting, which will be held deep in the vast storerooms of the Great Smials. The purpose of the game will be to plan the party, keep it a secret from Old Gerontius, and then to make sure that it comes off.

The game will be open to all gamers in Gondor and perhaps (if numbers are needed) to gamers in the Shire and Rohan on an invitation-only basis. All characters in this game are to be drawn from the genealogical tables found in the Appendices of The Return of the King.

As the game initiator I would ask that anyone interested in playing in this game begin by selecting a Hobbit from the genealogical tables and posting that name to the discussion thread so that everyone will know that this character has been “claimed.” Then begin work on a first post, detailing your character’s trip to and/or arrival at the meeting. When we have enough gamers, I will open a game thread and transfer these first posts there.

As there will be little “action” in this game it will live or die purely by the quality and complexity of the relationships that get established between the characters. Given that most of them will be related to one another, or close friends of the family, they will obviously be very familiar with one another, so I would ask that all gamers work together closely both in the discussion thread and via PM to make sure that the state of relations between their characters are established clearly before the game begins. Ideally, of course, these relations will be strained, change, evolve or even be transformed in game play.

The way I think that this would work best is by asking everyone to post a kind of personality profile for their character, rather than a biography or history. It hardly seems necessary to state this here in Gondor, but I would simply remind people that having a long and elaborate ‘back story’ for your character tends to dampen the spontaneity and creativity of the game. If we could all simply give a sketch of what our character is like, then it would undoubtedly be easier to work out who gets along with whom, or not, as the case may be…

As I have long wanted to play a woman character (and as I am the game initiator) I am going to go ahead and immediately claim Adamanta Took (Gerontius’s wife; née Chubb) as my own. By way of example of the kind of personality profile I am thinking of, here’s what Adamanta is like:

Quote:

Adamanta, while much younger than her husband, now enjoys the sobriety of age. Formerly possessed of a fiery temper, she is now slow to anger, but quick to hold a grudge against those whom she feels have slighted her or – worse – members of her family. Her sense of familial obligation is such that she would throw herself in front of the Wolves for any one of them…even those whom she is not so fond of. This dedication, which may appear as love, is really born of pride in her vast and accomplished clan. Formerly a Chubb, she is aware of the status that has been conferred upon her by her marriage to the Thain and she guards this status zealously. To her friends she is open, kind, friendly and full of good, sound (although sometimes unsolicited) advice. To those who cross her or earn her ill-will she unabashedly demonstrates contempt and impatience. Her favourite past-time is working in the garden where she has established a formal flower garden known throughout the Shire for its many varieties, some of which she has herself created and named after members of her family. Some of the varieties have, in fact, been renamed as the original honourees fell out of favour with the mercurial and indomitable matriarch of the Tooks.

Character/Player List

Gerontius Took: The Barrow-Wight
Adamanta Took: Fordim Hedgethistle

Their children

Donnamira Boffin: Estelyn Telcontar
Belladonna Took (Baggins?): Child of the Seventh Age

Their grandchildren

Flambard Took (son of Isembard): Piosenniel

To write for a particular character simply post your personality profile to this thread and I will add you to the list. Obviously, most of the characters will be members of the Took clan, but it would be nice to have members of other families there as well. Donnamira and Belladonna both need their husbands around, for example -- anyone feel like writing for Hugo Boffin or Bungo Baggins (father of Bilbo)? (Incidentally, Bilbo is 30 at the time of this party so if anyone is feeling particularly brave and bold enough to try it...)

Donnamira is the middle sister of the Took’s three remarkable daughters. Belladonna, four years older, was always the responsible one, attempting to be sensible and to keep her younger sisters out of mischief. Mirabella, four years younger, was everyone’s darling, the prettiest one of them, with a sunny nature. Donna was never noticed quite as much as her sisters, but she didn’t mind; that gave her the freedom to get by with murder – only figuratively speaking, of course. She would persuade Mira to join her in daring escapades, then Bella would have to come to help them get out of trouble, usually getting into it herself.

Now that all three are grown up and married, with children, they have become more respectable, apparently. However, Donnamira is still known for her eccentric ideas, though few Hobbits of the Shire have heard of her occasional disappearances, since the family hushes them up. Her husband Hugo Boffin is much too easy-going to be upset and regards her with slightly detached amusement. Her children adore her, though they are often bewildered by her quirkiness.

The sisters have mellowed somewhat with age, but they still have a tendency to bicker with each other, at least until someone else interferes. Then they hold together and defend each other - to their last breath, if need be.

At the time this story takes place, Donnamira is 64 years old.

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'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'

Flambard Took is the only child of Isembard and Martha Underhill Took; as such, he is one of thirteen recorded grandchildren of the Old Took and Adamanta. He lives with his family in The Great Smials.

At the time of this tale, he is thirty-three years old, the year when a young Hobbit comes of age. He has his eye set on a young lass from Tookbank – Tansy Bunce. In seven years they will be wedded.

He is considered a jolly fellow with many friends both among his large extended family and those outside the Took clan. He is a close contemporary of Bilbo Baggins, being his first cousin and just three years Bilbo’s senior. He loves parties and has quite the renown as a springle-ring dancer. He does have one habit which both amuses and annoys his family and acquaintances. When not at home, he never seems to have a pipe on him, even though he is quite fond of smoking after he eats (which is as often as he can) and he is forever borrowing pipes from anyone in the near vicinity, most of which are never returned. A similar habit will pass to his son, Adelard, though his predilection will be for umbrellas.

Even at his age, he is a Hobbit of generous girth. His hair is an auburn color with a definite tinge of red at the tips of the wavy mass. It is perhaps the reason his parents chose the name Flambard for him.

__________________Eldest, that’s what I am . . . I knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside.